


Frailty, the name is

by starlesssky



Series: Man, Woman, and a cat [3]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 04:19:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6104698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlesssky/pseuds/starlesssky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He could crush it in his hand.<br/>And still, he didn't want to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Frailty, the name is

**Author's Note:**

> If you are new to this series, please read [part 1](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5973331) first.

_To see a World in a Grain of Sand_  
_And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,_  
_Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand_  
_And Eternity in an hour._  
\- William Blake "Auguries of Innocence"

  


* * *

  


"I think it is about time to think of that."  
As his father said, General Hux shook his head. His father visited him during his too-short-off and he already noticed why his father come to see him. In the sitting room, they sat on the chairs.  
"I don't think it is necessary for me now, father."  
"You have to think about your failure on the Starkiller."  
He smirked. Failure, ok, surely it was his failure. And he knew his rivals in the First Order has waited this for a long time. But then what could they do? And he didn't have any time to involve with them. He just had to show them it was just... "unlucky" failure.  
"It won't help me with anything. And I know I have to regain my reputation and authority, but I can do it with my power, my talent, my own resource."  
He shook his head again, with a smirk on his face.  
"Marriage to another daughter of another general won't help me anything."  
His father narrowed his eyes, like he wanted to tell him he could see through his son's mind.  
"You have not forgotten yet your ex wife, no?"  
General Hux frowned, like his father told him a nonsense thing.  
"It was several years ago, father."  
"And you still wear the ring, no? I can't find any other reason why you don't remove your gloves even in front of your father."  
A little black butterfly strayed into the sitting room. He glanced at its movement. It flew weakly and seemed to look for the exit.  
"I don't have any time for another marriage. I have to work hard to prove I'm worth as a general. You know I have to go back a new operation tomorrow. I don't have any time for another woman."  
And any place in his heart for another woman. He didn't want to admit he didn't recover from the loss of his wife yet, but still, she occupied a part of his heart. In the twenty years of their engagement and marriage - a decade of unconcern and hatred and another decade of understanding and passion - she became surely a part of him, and he didn't want to repeat the same thing again, he even doubted if he could do it.  
Perhaps, she was the last piece of his humanity.  
His father, former Empire General Brendol Hux sighed, then stood up from the chair. His son looked up at him from the chair.  
"You need a tea?"  
"No. I'm going to go back home."  
General Hux called his servants, and they immediately brought his father's coat and hat. He walked to the door to see his father off, when Brendol Hux turned around and looked at him.  
"It was an ill-matched marriage."  
He frowned.  
"For us it was only for their money and secret connection with the New Republic. And for them it was just for our reputation and fame with the Empire. But then, that woman took my son from us."  
"You think I'm an undutiful son?"  
"No, I'm proud of you, my son, but something in you changed after that accident."  
That accident, not the failure on the Starkiller. He pursed his lips, then opened his mouth.  
"And it will never be the same again."  
His father looked at his son's face again, then put on his hat and went out. General Hux stood there for a while, then turned around to the sitting room.  
The butterfly stopped at the flowers in the vase by the window. He walked near and looked at the butterfly. It was apparently dying. He brought his finger near it, then let it move on the finger. He walked silently towards the door, then walked into the garden.  
Millicent played in the garden. She was happy to have enough space for her unlikely in the Starkiller base or the Finalizer. He smiled, then put the finger on a leaf of a low tree. The butterfly tried to move on, but suddenly flew away. Millicent looked up to the slow flying thing and tried to chase it. He held her up in his arms.  
"No, Millicent, just let it fly away."  
The butterfly flew weakly, and it recalled him an old memory.

  


*****

  


To him, she was like a toy his parents gave him. The toy he could play for a while, but soon he would get bored.  
They sat on the stair before the door. They saw the garden purposelessly, and he bit his under lip. They had met a few times before and always with their parents, so it was for the first time they had to stay with them alone. He didn't know what to say or do to her, as same as her. They sat silently, then, he saw she stirred in the corner of his view.  
"You want to see the garden?"  
Perhaps she thought she had to say something to him, while he didn't want to talk with her. But he shouldn't ignore her, he knew. It was an arranged marriage - even if he didn't know what marriage meant to him - and he shouldn't make his parents disappointed. So he nodded.  
They stood up from the stairs and went down to the garden. It was beautiful, and its beauty made him a little irritated. He had heard her parents had some financial ability and he could tell they used their money for this garden. Why they didn't use money for the army, to confront against the New Republic? Why they didn't use money to rise again the Empire? He has grown up with the stories of the Empire, its greatness, and its collapse. He had to be a higher-ranking officer in the new army and lead the army to rebuild the Empire then rule the galaxy. And the girl, who was talking about some plants and flowers besides him, really understood how important it was?  
A black butterfly went across his view, flying weakly. The girl - her name was... Millie, if he remembered correctly - raise her voice a bit.  
"I saw a butterfly for the first time since last summer."  
Last summer. It was the season when their parents introduced each other of them as fiances. The young son of Brendol Hux looked at her, semi long brunet, lightly tanned skin, and beautiful blue eyes.  
And it was for the first time they looked each other eye to eye.  
She turned her face from him in a hurry, perhaps from her shyness. He saw the black butterfly flew near her hair, as like it wanted to melt into the blackness of her hair.  
He extended his hand, caught it, then, crushed it in his hand.  
He opened his hand to let it slip off from his hand to the ground... and, he noticed she stared at him, terrified.  
"Wha... what are you doing?"  
She blinked several times, like she couldn't see him clearly.  
"What?"  
"Why you killed the butterfly!?"  
He frowned at her loud voice.  
"It seemed to be dying. It wouldn't last so long even if I didn't kill it."  
"Then why you had to kill it!?"  
He couldn't understand. Why she had to think it so important? It was just a butterfly, already weakened. Why she had to react so dramatically?  
As he narrowed his eyes, she recoiled a little. The girl grabbed her dress in her hands. Small hands, and he could see she had some small scars on her hands. He didn't know why she had them, but still, they were small and delicate hands.  
Thoughtful hands.  
Came from her fortunate life, unlikely his.  
He gritted his teeth. She knew nothing, nothing about the greatness of the Empire and its importance in the galaxy. She didn't have a view of how the galaxy should be. He remembered what their parents said about their engagement. It will be an ill-matched marriage... they don't have any fame with the Empire... coward family... but at least, we can get their money... and connection...  
He suddenly felt a pity for this girl. Toy. She certainly would be his toy, in order to be a great officer serving for a great purpose. He could keep her in a garden, but just keep it. Like a butterfly. He let her live her life around plants and flowers - he even wouldn't mind if she lives around men and women like flowers - but when he wanted to finish her life in his hand, whenever he could.  
He wiped his hand with his trousers, but the weird sensation on his hand didn't vanish. He extended his hand to her.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."  
She looked at his hand, then his face. He smiled. She frowned. But she put her hand on his, timidly.


End file.
